Wednesday, February 24th 2021

Fry's Electronics to Shut Down All Operations, Adds to Brick-and-Mortar Woes in the USA

Feb 24th, 2021 14:40 Discuss (27 Comments)

Fry's Electronics, Inc. (or simply Fry's as is more popularly referred to) ripped off the band-aid from its ailing operations in the USA today. The 36-year old company was a Silicon Valley original, and went full-time into the PC market as a retailer shortly after giving up its grocery business dreams. The company had been struggling for a while now, with yours truly having never once bought from any of their stores despite having lived in a city that housed so many, and clearly too many, of them. The brand had quickly become associated with outdated and overly expensive hardware, and unfortunately today's news was due to happen sooner than later. We wish all employees a quick rebound, and look out for wind-down sales from the company as it attempts to satisfy creditors and stakeholders.

Source: Fry's Electronics

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27 Comments on Fry's Electronics to Shut Down All Operations, Adds to Brick-and-Mortar Woes in the USA

ThrashZone

Hi,
Not a lot of woes really place has been in steady decline way before covid hit this was just the last straw that broke their backs.

TechLurker

Themed stores, like arcades, were always fun to visit. But just like FAO Schwarz and Toy R Us, it gradually shifted towards clean, "professional" looks, and in recent years, online shopping conveniences.

That being said, I feel a themed grocery store would have been pretty interesting, complete with a cafeteria/restaurant like some larger grocery stores have. Too bad that fizzled too.

Lightofhonor

Loved going there years ago but stopped when they were always out of anything good.

Kinda reminds me of a Big Bang Theory quote: "You know, they have to help the viewers let go. Firefly did a movie to wrap things up. Buffy the Vampire Slayer continued on as a comic book. Heroes gradually lowered the quality season by season till we were grateful it ended."

Fry's is the Heroes of the retail world.

moob

ThrashZoneHi,
Not a lot of woes really place has been in steady decline way before covid hit this was just the last straw that broke their backs.

Yeah. It used to be the go-to place for PC hardware for me but that hasn't been the case in years, and it's true for the other geeks I know as well. Not only can you regularly find better deals online, but Micro Center has better deals in their B&M stores, and hell, even Best Buy often has better deals. And I think anyone who has ever shopped at Fry's knows just how awful the customer service/sales reps could be. It was always a rare occurrence when you got someone who was truly helpful/knowledgeable.

Darmok N Jalad

I don’t live anywhere near a Fryes anymore. I did buy an Athlon XP and motherboard from them when I lived in San Diego a rather long time ago.

I don’t know if it was a management issue that led to the decline, or what, but the Microcenter in my area has not struggled for business, even with COVID. My last trip there had a long line at checkout, on a weeknight. They do better than Best Buy it would seem.

trparky

And here I am thinking that I'm lucky I have a Microcenter within half an hour of my house in good highway traffic. I wonder what keeps Best Buy alive.

Fry's has been going down for a while now, it's just now that the final nail has been pounded into the coffin.

my_name_is_earl

See this coming for many years. Suck to see them go. It used to be the place I want to spend hrs at. I remember in the 90s where we stand in-line just to play a game demo.

lexluthermiester

trparkyI wonder what keeps Best Buy alive.

They're nation wide and have a solid name. TBH, I don't do as much online shopping anymore. I'm glad brick & mortar stores still exist...

trparky

lexluthermiesterI don't do as much online shopping anymore. I'm glad brick & mortar stores still exist...

Me too. I like to see the product these days. All the pictures and reviews mean nothing compared to personally seeing the product.

For me, having a Microcenter is amazing. I can walk in and ask questions and the salespeople at my local store are very knowledgeable. I asked a lot of questions regarding monitors even though I had done a lot of homework ahead of going into the store, but it was the salespeople and seeing the product that really convinced me that that monitor was the best choice. I bought it, took it home, hooked up, and I was blown away.

#10

lexluthermiester

trparkyAll the pictures and reviews mean nothing compared to personally seeing the product.

Exactly. Nothing beats hands on experience.

#11

Darmok N Jalad

trparkyMe too. I like to see the product these days. All the pictures and reviews mean nothing compared to personally seeing the product.

For me, having a Microcenter is amazing. I can walk in and ask questions and the salespeople at my local store are very knowledgeable. I asked a lot of questions regarding monitors even though I had done a lot of homework ahead of going into the store, but it was the salespeople and seeing the product that really convinced me that that monitor was the best choice. I bought it, took it home, hooked up, and I was blown away.

It must be something either in training, or just that they manage to hire passionate employees. My local store is the same way. I’ve listened in on many sales interactions, and they don’t even try to upsell. The recommendations I hear them make are pretty much what I would have recommended if it was the same question in a forum. So I’ll tell my friends to go there for a purchase because they should be treated well. When you can build that kind of trust, you don’t need to upsell, because not only do the customers come back, but they probably come back more often.

#12

trparky

Darmok N JaladIt must be something either in training, or just that they manage to hire passionate employees. My local store is the same way. I’ve listened in on many sales interactions, and they don’t even try to upsell. The recommendations I hear them make are pretty much what I would have recommended if it was the same question in a forum. So I’ll tell my friends to go there for a purchase because they should be treated well. When you can build that kind of trust, you don’t need to upsell, because not only do the customers come back, but they probably come back more often.

I have a feeling that that's why Microcenter is still around. Trust. Once you have it, they keep coming back. Lose it and you end up like Fry's. Let's hope that Microcenter doesn't go down the same path that Fry's went.

#13

BArms

Gonna miss their weekly deals, they had some crazy deals sometimes on A/V equipment. So crazy they couldn't even tell you what you were buying until it arrived, but it was usually possible to pinpoint the exact make/model by the specs so you know what you're getting anyway.

#14

watzupken

It is difficult for a brick and mortar store to compete against the likes of Amazon and Newegg which has minimal store front. COVID basically accelerated the death of most brick and mortar stores last year due to lockdowns almost globally. Its not that they cannot survive, but they will need to consolidate at some point. There will always be people that would prefer to have a look at feel of the product before they buy, so I feel there will always be demand for brick and mortar stores.

#15

trparky

watzupkenIt is difficult for a brick-and-mortar store to compete against the likes of Amazon and Newegg which has minimal store front.

I don't know man, I still want to actually see the product that I'm buying. And we're not even talking how if you buy something from Amazon you have no idea if you're going to get the real product or if it's been a returned product that was replaced with a brick (yeah, this happened to some people). And then you have Newegg that as soon as it was bought by some Chinese company the trustworthiness of the site went down the toilet and many people have many horror stories.

#16

lexluthermiester

trparkyI don't know man, I still want to actually see the product that I'm buying. And we're not even talking how if you buy something from Amazon you have no idea if you're going to get the real product or if it's been a returned product that was replaced with a brick (yeah, this happened to some people). And then you have Newegg that as soon as it was bought by some Chinese company the trustworthiness of the site went down the toilet and many people have many horror stories.

Exactly this. If I know what I'm buying, then I'm ok buying it online. However, if I'm shopping for something new and I'm not familiar with the product, nothing beats a physical store to go to to see up close and personal what a product has to offer.

#17

chodaboy19

End of an era... :(

#18

cst1992

This is just survival of the fittest. Especially since the beginning of the COVID-19 new normal.

chodaboy19End of an era... :(

We're already living in a new era since the start of last year.

#19

Bitgod

I always felt bad walking out of a Fry's empty handed. Good night, sweet prince.

Surprised it didn't close 2 years ago, it was on it's heals before COVID. Maybe it actually helped them stick around by closing stores and not having to pay for as many people, but it was never gonna work out.

#20

R0H1T

Hmm, I thought they folded awhile back. Oh well just another nail in the coffin, for BnM stores, designed by M/s Bezos & Co.

#21

lexluthermiester

cst1992We're already living in a new era since the start of last year.

That's over-stating things just a little bit.

#22

kapone32

watzupkenIt is difficult for a brick and mortar store to compete against the likes of Amazon and Newegg which has minimal store front. COVID basically accelerated the death of most brick and mortar stores last year due to lockdowns almost globally. Its not that they cannot survive, but they will need to consolidate at some point. There will always be people that would prefer to have a look at feel of the product before they buy, so I feel there will always be demand for brick and mortar stores.

Canada Computers seems to be doing pretty good in my neigbourhood.

#23

xorbe

They only stocked stuff that wouldn't sell online, I stopped checking in store for things. They had a convenient deli though.

#24

Why_Me

www.cnn.com/2021/02/25/business/best-buy-store-closures-workers/index.html

#25

Darmok N Jalad

Yeah, it's crazy to have watched the rise and fall of these electronics/tech merchants. From the days of VCRs and TVs the size of refrigerators to the current age, many have fallen. Can't forget Circuit City and CompUSA either. I wonder if Best Buy will just go under, or if it will be one-store-per-city situation like certain other big box stores.

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Fry's Electronics to Shut Down All Operations, Adds to Brick-and-Mortar Woes in the USA

27 Comments on Fry's Electronics to Shut Down All Operations, Adds to Brick-and-Mortar Woes in the USA

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